Marjaani
by bunnies4life
Summary: Sinbad is forced to be a father figure for a young girl he's never even met. In fact, all of the eight generals are. Even Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana. But this little girl has a powerful secret.
1. Chapter 1

It was a hot August day in Sindria. Masrur and Morgiana were training out on the fields while Sharrkan and Alibaba were dueling under the small covered stone arch. Almost everyone was busy, so no one could have possibly noticed the rather tall woman with long black hair and grey eyes slink through the entrance tugging a small child behind her.

She walked right up to the front door and yanked it open, stomping inside, to Sinbad's great surprise.

"Um..." he stuttered watching the woman come close to him. When they were just about nose to nose, she stopped and glared straight into Sinbad's eyes.

"Do I know you?" Sinbad inquired. The woman gasped and caught him across the face with a harsh slap.

"You should! I'm the woman you impregnated eight years ago! Remember that?" she yelled yanking the little girls hand.

Sinbad look confused as usual. The woman put her hands on her hips. "Valentine's Day." she muttered.

Immediately, memories of that day came flooding back to him.

Sinbad looked at the small hooded girl in surprise. The similarities between them were very prominent, considering her features were not as feminine as he had though they would be. For a girl, she had long skinny legs and arms that were bony and malnourished and a short mangy mess of hair. Her light grey eyes resembled her mother, who was impatiently tapping her foot on the concrete.

"Are you sure?" Sinbad said, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I'm sure!" the woman yelled, yanking at the child's hair in anger. The little girl yelped and let her head snap back, too weak to resist against her mother's abusive actions.

"She has the same features as you and she was born nine months after…" her words trailed off. Sinbad fondly remembered that day in February. It had been Valentine's Day and there had been a great party. Sinbad had gotten drunk, as usual, and probably done something stupid. Etc.

"Now she's your problem." the woman flung the small girl at Sinbad and began to walk off. Just like that. Sinbad stood there stunned. The small girl was collapsed helplessly against his chest, not willing to move anymore.

"Ja'far!" he yelled to his advisor. Ja'far hurried in from the back room and bowed respectfully.

"Yes my king–SIN!" Ja'far looked up in shock as his eyes drifted over the small girl.

"What did you do?" he hurried over to the crumpled heap and the king.

"This girl needs medical attention." Sinbad said ignoring Ja'far's questions.

Ja'far nodded nervously and ran off to find Yamuraiha. Sinbad began to lift the small figure off the ground, but her fingers caught in his robe. He slowly looked down, his gold eyes meeting her lifeless grey ones.

She said nothing, only reached her small fingers up to snag the edge of a gold hoop that looped through his earlobe. He winced a bit, not from pain, but the pure sweetness that seemed to emanate around her hand.

"We must give you a bath at list little one." Sinbad smiled gentlemanly, and slowly placed her back onto the ground again. He stood himself and waited until he heard Ja'far's footsteps as well as other footsteps.

"Oh my gosh!" Yamuraiha gasped as she reached the little girl. "Are you alright little one?" But the little girl just stood there, clinging to her father with one of his fingers clamped in her small hand.

"Speaking of which..." Ja'far stepped forward. "...we can't go on calling you little girl forever, now can we?" he smiled warmly, which earned a slight flick of the eyes from her.

"What is your name child?" Sinbad wiggled his finger, triggering a small squeeze from the little girl's hand. She still said nothing.

"Do you...do you have a name?" Ja'far asked, his heart aching for her. She nodded slowly.

Sinbad looked down at her. Her matted black hair and pale dirtied face made him angry. How could a mother be so cruel to a little child. He balled his unoccupided hand into a tight fist and growled softly at the images that flowed into his brain. All the horrible things that could have happened to her while with her mother. He grimaced, but he was shaken from his thoughts when his daughter gave a small tug on his robe. He looked down again, seeing her grey eyes looking into his. But yet her felt as if they were looking into his soul.

"We'll settle this name nonsense later. Right now, you need a nice, warm bath my dear." he smiled again. He lead her over to Yamuraiha and Ja'far and with out any trouble, he left them in charge of her. Yamuraiha lead the way and Ja'far was following behind, but the little girl's fingers caught on the edge of his robe and he turned back to see her. Her hand was raised just enough so she could nearly touch the edge of Ja'far's sleeve. Seeing her outstretched fingers move so helplessly made Ja'far's heart break and he swiftly reached down to take her small hand in his, and they proceeded down the hall.

Sinbad was left to his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Oni** _means demon_

* * *

The young man and young woman led me off to some other room.

I looked about. It was a large room with tile floors and marble walls and four large pillars that held up the white ceiling. I looked at the two older people, who were fussing over the water in the bath. I found them to be very funny. The young man, with his heavy robe, moving swiftly to cool the boiling water, while the young lady drew some towels and other soaps from another room. I stood there in my rags and admired how much they were trying to care for me.

"Now…" said the young man. "Let's get you into the bath." He let the lady help me with my clothes, although it wouldn't really matter, seeing as one could hardly tell I was a even a girl at all. As the ragged clothes I called clothes fell to the ground, both young humans gasped at the extensive amount of bruises and scratches on my body. I hadn't thought of it before, but now they were within my range of view, and they were quite irritating. The young man clenched his jaw as he stared at my pale white skin covered in purple dots and red splotches. I looked down at myself in disgust. Before I knew it, I was picked up and placed softly into semi-hot water. But it was much more comforting to any other pain I had experienced, so it was fine.

But when the young woman reached out to wash me, I squirmed from her touch. I did not feel comfortable around these strange people, with their magic and their weapons. They were all very strange.

"I won't hurt you." the young lady said. I began to smile, then. I was happy, and I slid down into the the warm water.

* * *

Black began to stream from the little girls partly submerged head. Yamuraiha gasped and jumped back from the bath, causing J'far to rush forward in worry.

"What is this?!" he yelled becoming that much more angry. He clamped his hands down on her arms and pulled her from the black water. Icky black glop clung to her boy and to his arms. He tucked her neatly into a towel and held her in his arms, retreating from the blackened bath.

"oh..." the little girl said, wrapping her arms around Ja'far's thin waist. "it came off..."

"W-what is that crap?" Ja'far looked at the ooze on his clothes.

"ink..." the little girl said. Ja'far began to dry the girl off. "You wanna explain to me why there is ink?" he grumbled.

"...didn't like the color...of my hair...dyed it black everyday...so no see purple again."

Ja'far looked down at the small little girl. Indeed, peeking out from under the black ink were shiny purple locks.

"I will go get some more towels." Yamuraiha hurried off into the other room.

"Who didn't like you hair?" Ja'far asked, turning back to her.

"...mother..."

Ja'far's veins pulsed. _How dare a mother be so cruel!_ He understood that Sinbad was childish and irresponsible and that the woman wouldn't have wanted to ever see his purple hair again. But to go as far as dying it to the point of no return was going a bit overboard.

He finally dried the girl off and wrapped a nice fine cloth around her as makeshift clothes until he found a good outfit for her.

Meanwhile, Ja'far had instructed the girl to lean over the bath as he continuously poured water over her hair and combed most of the ink out.

A few minutes after, most of the ink was washed out, but the tips of her hair were still stained quite badly. He left it alone though, and dried her off again. Yamuraiha came back with a pretty lavender dress that had gold lining and a large bow at the back. The little girl excepted the dress gratefully, and slowly turned in the mirror once it was on.

"...pretty..." she pointed at the reflection in the mirror. Ja'far smiled, every feeling of hate slipping from his body.

The girl turned to him and Yamuraiha and bowed low. "...thank you..."

"You don't have to do that!" Yamuraiha shook her head frantically. "You're part of the family, now." she said gesturing to Ja'far and herself. "We'll always take care of you." she smiled and the girl gave a small nod.

"So, will you tell us your name now?" Ja'far asked sweetly kneeling down beside her.

She nodded slowly and opened her mouth slowly to say something when there was a knock on the door.

* * *

A large man came from behind the door and it certainly was not her father. She clamped chunks of the young man's robe in her small hands and hid behind him. The young man patted her head and began to talk to the large looking man.

"...oni..." she said softly. The young man turned to her with a smile and picked her off the ground.

"Look here, this is Masrur." the young man said gesturing to the large man.

"...o-oni..." she said again. This time the young man leaned forward to see what she was saying.

"What was that sweetheart?" he asked.

"...ONI!..."

The room went silent for a while. The young man holding her looked as shocked as the red-haired man began to blush. He lowered his head and began to shake a bit. The young man holding her rambled on about something but she wasn't quite listening.

"..no no no...Masrur! You're not an oni – he not an oni...he's good...!" the young man flailed his arms about.

The red-haired man shook a bit, but said nothing. "Masrur...is a good boy...right Masrur?" the young man ruffled the red-haired man hair.

She looked up at the blushing red man and how the young man was treating him like a baby. She saw how he wasn't hurting anyone. She saw how embarrassed he was.

"...oni..." she whispered.

The word made the red man wince a bit.

Seeing this, she quickly changed course.

"..onii...chan..." she slowly said, reaching out to touch the red man. He small fingers caught a small lock of his red locks and she began to ruffle his hair softly.

"..onii-chan...is a good boy...right?" she said. The man instantly became engulfed in red. He nodded slowly, his cheeks darkening with embarrassment. He tried to hide it, but his hair wasn't long enough to cover his face, and he looked like a large tomato.

She giggled at this and yanked on his hair a bit, making his stumble towards her. The young man laughed and gave her to the red man, who was reluctant to take her.

She curled up in his arms, him continuing to burn bright red. She reached out a hand and entangled it in his red locks.

"...onii-cahn is a good boy..."

* * *

Ja'far was bewildered. Never in his life had he seen Masrur blush so much. Or even show any emotion at all. Now that he saw his friend, completely flustered, burning red, and totally off his game. And it was all because of this small girl.

"What's you're name?" Ja'far blurted out by accident.

"...name?" she shook her head. "...no...no good..." she shook her head again and snuggled back into Masrur. His red eyes shifted, another wave of embarrassment rising to his cheeks.

"No...good?" Ja'far asked.

"...no..." she whispered curling into Masrur, sending shivers up his spine. He wasn't used to such close contact.

"You can tell me..." Ja'far smiled snuggling against her.

Ja'far pressed up against him, cradling the small girl. Masrur's cheeks burned and his embarrassment rose even more. He slowly placed the small girl down on the floor and caressed her face in his large hand. At first, she didn't move, but soon she held his hand to her face, feeling the warmth.

"Do you want to see your father?" Masrur cupped her small face. Instead of kissing her on the forehead, his forehead made contact with hers. It wasn't painful, just surprising.

The small girl nodded excitedly and giggled sweetly.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey guys! This is another chapter. Sorry if the chapters so far have been short. Hope you like this on though. More to come!**_

* * *

She bounded out of the washroom, tugging Masrur by his wrist with Ja'far's sleeve also securely in her grasp. They tripped and stumbled a bit, seeing as they were nearly bent over. She weaved through the halls and straight into Sinbad's room. Masrur and Ja'far skidded to a stop, digging their heels into the concrete. The small girl detached from the two and ran straight up to Sinbad's desk. He was surprised and he fumbled with the scrolls that were strewn out across his desk. Some of them drop to the floor in the commotion and let a large smile cross his face.

"Well I see you've cleaned up..." he said, slowly leaning down to wrap his arms around her. She slowly retreated before excepting it and snuggling herself in to him. "...And may I say, you look beautiful." he nuzzled her and she giggled again.

He looked up to see Masrur and Ja'far bowing at the entrance. "I see you've made some new friends." he acknowledged them both and they stood slowly, making their way to the desk as well.

"Big brother Mas-chan and Ja-kun take care of me..." she giggled, reaching out to catch Ja'far's pinkie into her tiny fingers.

"Yes, of course they will." Sinbad smiled down at her and brushed her purple locks from her face.

"I didn't know you had hair like mine." he said, looking up and noticing Ja'far's ink-stained robe. "Her mother dyed her hair so badly that it was black. I managed to get most of it out, but the ends are completely ruined." he frowned, combing through her hair with his hand.

"I see." Sinbad nodded slowly. They sat there in silence for a while.

"I almost forgot." Ja'far snapped his fingers. "Your name, dear." he gestured to the girl.

"...name?" she said, repeating his words.

"Of course, my dear, you must have a name." he said smiling again.

"Yes of course. It breaks my heart to see you go on without a name." Sinbad place a hand over his heart. Her small hand reached out to overlap his large one. He smiled and blushed a bit.

"My name...is...Marjaani..." she smiled, playing with Sinbad's various jewelry. The room went quiet again.

"It means..._die my dear_..." Sinbad scowled at the name. "That sounds horrible." he said cupping her small pale face in his hands.

"Well, look on the bright side. It means "coral" in Swahili." Ja'far scratched the back of his head. Sinbad grimaced and looked down at the little girl who was captivated by the gold he wore.

He smiled at her small pale face, her big gray eyes, her short purple hair the tickle his skin, and her tiny fingers that laced around one of his own. Without even thinking about it, he leaned down and kissed her right on the nose and wrapped his arms more tightly around her. Now to Ja'far and Masrur, this was a completely different Sinbad all together. Although they had seen him be warm-hearted and kind, they hadn't really expected him to be so fatherly to...well anyone.

Sinbad stood and carried her out of his room, Ja'far and Masrur following behind. Marjaani giggled as Ja'far made a few funny faces, and she reached out to grab the Fanalis's red hair again.

He didn't mind of course, although it was an odd sensation that he couldn't really explain. It wasn't really pain, nor did it make him laugh as much as it did her.

* * *

They exited the great hall and made their way outside, where Sharrkan and Alibaba were doing some swordplay. Every so often, either man would lunge at the other and their weapons would clank against each other and bounce back again. It was loud and noisy and Marjaani didn't like it. She snuggled back into Sinbad's chest and began to whine. Sinbad couldn't possibly resist. He wrapped his large arms around her and pressed her to his chest.

"It's alright. Don't be afraid." He tipped her chin up so she was looking him straight in the eyes. She smiled and cupped his face in her hands, brushing aside some of the strands of hair that were covering his eyes.

Sharrkan took another swing at Alibaba, his sword hitting the dagger's blade. The sheer power sent Alibaba shooting back a bit. Alright, a lot.

When they both regained their composure, Sharrkan was the first to notice the small timid girl hiding behind Sinbad's large arms.

"Oh well, aren't you pretty." Sharrkan leaned forward, his sword gleaming in the sun. The glare hit Marjaani's face, and she sunk deeper into her father's arms.

"Oh no! Don't be scared! I'm not gonna hurt you." Sharrkan began to flail his arms about.

"I don't think that's helping." Sinbad said, looking down at Marjaani, nuzzling his nose with hers. He placed her softly on the ground, but she was timid not ready to be away from him just yet.

"Ok, ok. Let's start over." Sharrkan slid his sword back into the holster and stepped forward towards the little girl. He knelt down beside her and place a large hand on her head, ruffling her hair. It stuck up everywhere after that, and Sharrkan laughed.

"I'm Sharrkan." he introduced watched as she played with loose locks of her hair. She looked up momentarily, and tugged at the golden chain that hung from his neck.

"Sha-sama. I'm Mari." she pointeed to herself, then began to reach up towards the man white hair.

"Watch out. She's a grabber." Sinbad laughed, seeing as Marjaani had already caught a fistful of Sharrkan's hair and was pulling on it playfully. Sharrkan smiled though. He found it quite adorable.

Alibaba stepped forward, also placing his dagger back in it's place. He knelt down next to Sharrkan and began to introduce himself.

"My name is Alibaba. It's nice to meet you." he smiled and pinched one of her cheeks. She giggled and toppled over into his lap. She took a rather familiar liking in Alibaba's decorated dagger, and before long she was making _woosh_ sounds and running about.

"Baba-kun! Sha-sama! Teach me how!" she pleaded with them. This caught Sinbad by surprise. Not only was he feeling a bit hurt that she hadn't asked him to teach her swordplay, but he was also bewildered by how much she wanted to learn.

"Alright!" Sharrkan's fist shot into the air. "But you gotta be fast." he said, leaning down to nuzzle her forehead.

"I am fast!" she giggled at him.

"And strong." Alibaba added.

"I am!" she jumped up and down.

"And focused." Ja'far added, while Masrur gave a nod.

"Mhmm!" she smiled at them.

"And...completely adorable." Sinbad said, stepping forward and completely picking her off the ground. He swung her around and kissed her. She of course giggled and tugged at his purple locks, before kissing him back on the cheek.

Sinbad's face turned bright red and all four men around him laughed. Well smiled, on Masrur's part.

"Now." Sharrkan began. "Let's begin, shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

Marjaani was given a wooden sword, after Sinbad had won the long debate about whether she should be able to use a real sword. Sharrkan had run off to get "_something" _from town so Alibaba was taking Marjaani through the lesson. Teaching her to lunge and block, although when she lunged out, her bruised body wavered and tilted over. Sinbad sat at his chair and watched as she continued to practice. His hand gripped the arm of the chair, to the point of breaking, leaving several indents and a crack down the side. He growled at how badly she was hurting, and how much she liked Alibaba and Sharrkan and Masrur and Ja'far, more than she liked him. He cast his eyes downward only to see him reflection in the gold he wore. He redirected his eyes on Marjaani again, and when he did, she looked back at him and smiled. Sinbad nodded back, as if to symbolize that she was doing a good job. She giggled and continued to strike and block. Sharrkan came running back, Aladdin following close behind.

"Alright now. This is Aladdin, and he'll be your partner." Sharrkan smiled at the two.

"Ala-san." she smiled at him and ran up to him with joy.

"Imouto!" he laughed and ran over to her. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Aladdin." he stuck out his hand and Marjaani's hand met his. They giggled at each other and stepped back when Sharrkan began to laugh.

"I'm Mari." she smiled, sticking her tongue out at Sharrkan. It seemed that she'd already taking a liking to him, and placed him as the teasing big brother type.

"Mari-pyon." Aladdin smiled. Mari giggled.

"Alright, alright. We're here to duel, not make friends...although it's a good thing you're getting along." Sharrkan rubbed the back of his head when Mari began to glare at him.

* * *

"Now, you'll stand here...and you stand here...and" Sharrkan began placing Mari and Aladdin where they should begin the duel. The two small children stood there holding their wooden sword and teetering about.

"Alright." Sharrkan clapped his hands. "Now when I say begin, you guys start...ya know...fight. Don't worry about technique. I just want to see what you already probably know."

Mari and Aladdin nodded and took a stance...well a partial stance.

"Alright. Begin!" he laughed, walking over to where a rather shocked Sinbad was sitting, biting his lip.

"She'll be fine." he placed a hand on Sinbad's shoulder and he seemed to relax some. Masrur and Ja'far were sitting around too, just watching as Mari and Aladdin began to circle each other, not a smidgen of anger or even evilness in their gazes. It was odd to see two people, who were completely happy, dueling each other.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Sinbad grimaced at the scene and pleaded at Sharrkan with his eyes.

"No no, my king. You're not using that trick on me. If there's one thing I know, it's that a bit of fight never hurt anyone." he smiled and watched as the two children began to lunge.

Aladdin charged first, wielding his wooden weapon very well, it surprised Mari, and scared the living daylight's out of Sinbad.

Mari blocked at the last second, the two wooden pieces sliding along each other easily.

Next, it was Mari's turn to give an attack. She lunged and hit the edge of Aladdin's wooden blade, making pieces of wood fly off. Aladdin stumbled back in surprise, struggling to keep his footing and his sword from falling.

Before Aladdin could strike back, Mari struck at his sword again, this time taking a large swing upward to create a rather powerful uppercut. Aladdin stumbled back, completely off balance. Another hit was given. This time it sent Aladdin's sword flying off into the courtyard.

Every man in the courtyard seemed to stand silently, bewildered as if to say they hadn't seen that coming. Mari giggled a bit at the astonished faces of those around her.

"Well, well. Whatdya know." Sharrkan smiled walking over to Mari. "The squirts got potential." he ruffled her sweet purple lock, laughing as she gave him a playful shove.

"You're telling me." Aladdin rubbed his shoulder in embarrassment, seeing as he had been defeated by a girl, who probably hadn't the slightest foul thought in her mind.

"Ala-san!" she ran right up to him, which surprised him greatly. She threw her arms around him, spinning them both around. Aladdin let a smile cross his lips.

"I'm so sorry, onii-chan." she snuggled her head under his chin and hugged him closer. "I did not mean to...offend..." she began, but Aladdin just laughed and hugged her back.

"It's alright. Because you'll get better and be able to take care of yourself and protect yourself. And in the end, that's what matters most."

When Mari looked around, she saw all the people she had met, and even some she hadn't yet. There was Ja-kun and Mas-chan and Sha-sama and Yamu-chan and Ala-san and many others. And amongst them all was a rather worried father, his golden eyes searching her to see if she had been hurt. She smiled.

"Tousan!" she giggled, running at Sinbad. He was quite startled by this action, but when Mari reached out for him, he quickly picked her up and swung her around, snuggling her close to his chest.

"My dear Marjaani." he kissed her softly on her forehead and held her there. He really _really _didn't want to let her go. She kissed him back , equally as sweet and caring as he had, making him blush once more. He tried to shake the embarrassment away, but it lingered as her fingers laced into his hair. He was preparing for her to begin tugging at his hair, and as expected, she did, kissing him on the nose every so often.

"It seems that Sinbad is quite occupied right now, so let us go an prepare lunch." Ja'far smiled. Seeing people like Masrur and Sinbad blush so much was quite entertaining, but he knew that if he didn't take care of things around here, than no one would.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Here's another chapter you guys! Hope you like it. If you have any suggestions I would be more that happy to incorporate them. I'm always looking for good ideas! And i've been blocked lately.**_

* * *

After the small duel in the courtyard, Ja'far had gone off to prepare for lunch, only to find that there was nothing good to prepare it with. He wanted to make it special for Mari, since it was her first ever meal at her new home. But to prepare something worth eating would mean a trip to the market. In Balbadd. He grimaced. But it would be worth it just to see a small smile cross her face.

"So what seems to be the problem?" a voice from behind him made him jump a bit. He turned to see Sharrkan staring over his shoulder and some of the ingredients he had found.

"There's nothing good to cook these with, which means..." Ja'far began but he was cut off.

"The market!" Sharrkan yelled.

"Yeah. The market." Ja'far rubbed the back of his head.

Mari walked in through the big front doors and hopped onto the checkered tiles that were the same color.

"Guess what!" She giggled at them two.

"What?" Sharrkan smiled at her and nuzzled her forehead.

"Tousan said I could go to the market with you guys." She smiled.

"H-how did he…?" Sharrkan stared at her.

Sinbad emerged from the front door as well.

"I know everything. Just remember that." He warned. He picked up Mari and lifted her up and onto his shoulders. She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"This is my first time going to the market." she smiled.

"Well then, I hope it is wonderful." Sinbad said. "Now let's go before it gets busy."

"I'll come too." Aladdin smiled, walking through the door too, with Alibaba and Morgiana behind him.

"And me." Masrur placed a hand on Ja'far's shoulder.

"Alright, alright. I guess we're all going to the market." Ja'far said wearily.

* * *

Tousan was holding me on his shoulders as we walked through the various streets and back roads of Balbadd. Ja-kun and Sha-sama were sort of fight of the long line of people who came from Sindria. There was Ja-kun, Sha-sama, Ala-san, Baba-kun, Momo, Yamu, Pisti-pyon, and Mas-chan. They all seemed to crowd around me and tousan, and tousan wouldn't let me go off on my own. He held my hand firmly and when I tugged, even slightly, he held me that much tighter.

Ja-kun had a long list of things we were going to get from the market, like cabbage and some spices. Every so often, he would send a few people to different tents and when they came out, they had small bundles of food with them.

Ja-kun checked things off every so often. But then he got to something on the list that made him stop. Sha-sama bumped right into him, since he stopped so suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"We have to get wine for...certain things." he said said. Tousan along with most of the other men seemed to come alive almost.

"I need Sin and Sharrkan to come and make some selections." he said rolling up the list and tucking into his robe. Tousan picked me up off his shoulders and placed me down on the ground.

"Now, a wine shop is no place for a little lady. So be good until I get back." he snuggled me once more before standing up and telling a few things to Mas-chan. He nodded and tousan walked into the shop. Mas-chan took my small hand in his and we began to walk down the long street towards the docks. Mas-chan was holding a large bundle on his back and a smaller bundle in his other arm.

"Mas-chan? Where are we going?" I asked, looking up at him. His red eyes stared down at me, but he said nothing. He pointed toward the docks and then gestured to the small bundle in his arm. I nodded, although I had no idea what he was trying to say.

We made it to the dock, where there were a few barrels that we used as seats. Mas-chan pulled me into his lap and unwrapped the bundle, holding a small box. He opened it up and it was rice. I smiled up at him and he gave a softer look at me. He took a small rice ball and held in front of my mouth so I could eat it. Although it was small, my mouth was equally as small, so it took about three bites to eat the whole thing up. I snuggled back into his chest and he began to eat himself. When he held another rice ball in front of me to eat, I denied it. I wasn't hungry anymore. I could be. It had been so long that I had went without food, and my stomach wasn't accustomed to eating a lot.

Mas-chan hesitated a bit, before taking a bite of it himself. I snuggled back into him and watched the street before me. Tousan, Ja-kun, and Sha-sama hadn't come out from the shop yet, Yamu and Pisti-pyon had gone off on their own, and Momo, Ala-san, and Baba-kun had already circled back to Sindria.

After a few silent minutes, Mas-chan placed me on the ground and took my hand in his again, and began to enter the large sea of people.

"Where are we going now Mas-chan?" I asked. This time, Mas-chan didn't even look down at me. _Was he mad? Had I done something wrong?_

_I looked down at the dirt ground. I felt horrible. Maybe...maybe I hadn't done, the right thing, or asked the right questions. _I sniffled. He was mad at me now.

Maybe if he didn't have to take care of me, he would be happy. Maybe if I could take care of myself, he would smile. And so I pulled against Mas-chan's hand. I pulled against him until I slipped right from his hand.

And I ran.


	6. Chapter 6

_The words with asterisk (*) near it, the definition is at the bottom._

_And now, my writing will move into scenes. Thank you all for reading._

__Author_

* * *

Scene One

Masrur whipped around, fast enough to barely see Mari slip from his fingers, before she was completely submerged in a crowd of people. Masrur began to run after her, pushing passed people and carts, tipping over barrels and bins, and the occasional frightened tourist. He shoved passed them until he made it to a clearing. But there was nothing, no sign of her anywhere.

_Mari_, he thought. His heart began to beat faster, pounding at his chest, like a prisoner on jail bars. _Where was she?_

And this odd feeling. _What was it?_ It made his chest burn, and his lungs feel tight, as if someone was trying to rip his heart out. He clutched as his chest, his armor clamping down on him. _This feeling, was it...fear? Regret? Guilt? Grief? Helplessness?_ The list in his mind was going on and on. He twisted and turned, hoping that when he turned back, she would be there, standing in front on him, smiling.

Of course, that did not happen, and when he turned back he saw a rather confused Sharrkan. He stood on his toes and looked right into Masrur's red eyes.

"What's wrong?" Sharrkan said, glaring Masrur down. "N-Nothing." Masrur rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't terrible at lying, he was just a bit flustered by how easily he had lost Mari. He took a few steps back, so Sharrkan wasn't so close to him anymore, and he relaxed.

"Mhmm." Sharrkan hummed, leaning on a near-by shop. "Where's Mari?" he asked.

"S-she...went...she went back to Sindria with...Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana." Masrur rambled, looking towards the crowd.

"Mhmm." Sharrkan nodded, following Masrur's line of vision towards the crowd. "Well, were about to go back soon. We may catch up to them." he said pacing back the the wine shop.

Masrur's eyes widened. _This is not good._ He thought.

_But where could she be?_ _The small ray of sunshine that had lit up life in Sindria. He had to find her. But how? They were about to leave to return to Sindria, and Masrur's mind had gone blank, to the point where he could not configure a proper plan._

Now he began to panic. _What would Sin say? What would Sin do?_ Masrur feared that he would be punished, or worse, be forced from the Eight Generals, from Sindria. More shocks of pain shot through his chest and he willed his feet to carry him forward, through the crowd.

_Where are you Mari?_

* * *

Scene Two

"There." Mari sighed, resting her head on a cool brick wall. "Now Mas-chan...won't have to worry..." she sighed again, sinking down onto the floor. Why had she run so far? Now she didn't know where she was. Great. Mari looked around. The surrounding environment wasn't as nurturing as the market place was, but it wasn't bad. The old walls that crumbled at her touch and the stained ground, was familiar to her. This was a place that she knew. And for some reason, amongst the debris, she felt safe.

"MARI!" It was a familiar voice. She turned her head only slightly, but still she could see a blur of red.

"Jeez…" Mari jumped to her feet and scrambling down the alley. _How did he find me? _

"MARI!" the voice came again. "MARI! PLEASE COME BACK!" the voiced seemed more, hurt. More desperate.

"PLEASE!"

She stumbled down the alleyway, running through clotheslines and scaring the small alley cats from near-by. She finally made it to the end of the alley when a large cart zoomed in front of her, making her stumble back. She fell back onto the pavement, scared beyond belief. She scooted back and curled up into a small ball. The world was so scary an she wished that she was in her father's arms again. She stumbled from the road and back into the alley, where she found a small crevice in the wall. She easily slipped through and squeezed herself back into the darkness. She heard footsteps stomping through the alley after her. She closed her eyes. _When had trying to make someone happy turned into a crime?_

She cupped her hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. If Mas-chan found her, there would be no telling what would happen. Through her slightly closed eyes, she saw a flash of red blur by. Once she was sure he was gone, she breathed out and slumped against the wall pressing against her back, her knees digging into the wall in front of her.

She sighed.

"Was that man chasing you?" a small voice broke the silence, making Mari jump a bit within the tight space.

She turned to see a young boy, about her age with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, wedged into the space next to her.

She didn't want to lie, but she heard the footsteps returning and she didn't really want Mas-chan to find her.

"Mmmm." she hummed looking over at him for help.

"Come with me." the small boy took her hand and began to squirm between the two walls of concrete, the two just able to slip through perfectly. They ran out into the street, speeding passed carts and shops and back into another alley before they made it to a small shop on the corner.

Before she knew it, Mari was pushed into one of the cloth tents. She landed safely in a pile of linens. She snuggled in the soft fabric, and relaxed.

She felt fabric being thrown over her and she flipped over to see the white cloth falling on her face.

"Stay quiet." the small voice said. Mari sat there quietly waiting for...something she didn't know.

"Ata! What are you doing?" a female voice called.

"Nothing Mama!" the boy called back.

Mari hear footsteps coming toward them.

"Mhmm. If you're gonna play in those linens, you might as well fold them." the mother began to lean down to pick up a few linens.

"N-no no, Mama. I'll fold 'em. Don't worry." he said, placing a hand over the linens, right where Mari's forehead was.

"Well, alright." the footsteps began to leave. After a few more minutes, Mari felt the linens being lifted off of her.

"It's safe now." the voice said. Mari uncovered her eyes and looked up into the blinding light. When her eyes adjusted, the boy with dark hair and blue eyes was still sitting there beside her. He stared at her for a while, then, finding that that was very rude he slumped over and blushed a bit, sticking out his hand.

"I'm Ataullah." he said. "Ata for short."

Mari took his hand and shook it firmly.

"I am Marjaani. Mari for short." They both giggled and sat back.

Mari started to look around. There were metals and stones and gems and of course, material. All types of things.

"This is amazing." Mari gaped. They sat there in silence for a while longer.

"So that man, was he going to hurt you?" Ata said, looking Mari right in the face.

"N-no." she shook her head slowly. _Mas-chan wouldn't hurt...me. Would he?_

"Was he going to enslave you?" Ata said, looking at her with a bit more concern.

"N-no." she said again. This time she sat up onto her knees, bowing low.

"Thank you for helping me." she said, sinking lower until her forehead touched the ground.

"N-no! That's alright! You seemed to be in trouble, so..." he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "You may want to change..." Ata said, standing.

"Huh?" Mari stood along with him.

"Well that man...he saw what you were wearing...so..." Ata rummaged in the back closet and pulled out a few cloths. "...if you try to leave...he'll find you."

"Mmm." Mari hummed again.

"Here." he handed her some pant and a few other things he had found. There was a loose fitting shirt that she

slipped over her dress and tied to the side. She slipped the pants over the bottom of the dress and tucked it in. Ata handed her another long piece of cloth, which she wrapped around her waist.

"Oh…" Ata said, looking up at Mari's face.

"But your hair, it's sure to be recognizable." He said rubbing the back of his head. He rummaged in the closet for another cloth. He pulled out a long white linen and tossed it to her. Mari wrapped it around her neck and tied it loosely. She lifted the small hooded part up and over her head.

"That seems good." Ata smiled and wrapped a hooded cap around himself as well. He began to pull her from the tent and out into the street when he turned back to the shop.

"Wait here. I almost forgot…" he slipped back into the tent, only to emerge seconds later with a sword and something gold in hand.

"Here," He gesture the golden spiral in his hand. Mari tilted her head to the side.

"What is it?" she asked reaching out to take it into her hands. Ata smiled and slid it around her hand and up onto her upper arm.

"It's a snake charm." He said stepping back. "Mama says that if you where it, it will bring you good luck."

Mari spun around and admired her new clothes.

"…pretty." She smiled.

"Good. Now you look like a commoner." He smiled back at her.

Ata grabbed her hand and began to make his way back down the alley where they had gone before and out onto the street again.

"Where are we going?" Mari asked. She eyed the silver sword he held in his hand, admiring the craftsmanship and the way it shined. It reminded her of Sha-sama. She looked down at her feet. She missed them, but at least they didn't have to worry about her anymore, and they could go onto their normal lives again.

"We're going to the arena." Ata said. There was a more serious tone in his voice which mad Mari wonder.

"Arena?" she asked as they sped across the street, avoiding carts that rambled by.

"Yep. I may not look it, but I'm a gladiator." He smiled in a hushed whisper.

"Really?" Mari was shocked.

You see she had a secret. Something she had never told anyone before. When she had been living with her mother, she had to sort of fend for herself. Sometime her mother would even get so drunk as to throw her from the house window and leave her there on the street. It was those nights that she ventured out into the slums of the town. There she had found the arena that she was sure Ata spoke of.

The first night she had gone there, she had entered as The Black Shadow. That night she had fought a small child, the same age as her, maybe even younger. A boy. He was scrawny and undernourished and he could barely stand up on his own. That night, she defeated him. After the match she had earned a small bag of gold coins that she used to pay for food. For her and her mother. This lasted for a few weeks, and seeing as her mother wasn't beating her as much, she felt that it was a good thing. The next week, her mother was drunk again and she had slipped from the house. This time she had a strategy. She had trained a whole week for another fight, and being beaten by her mother had toughened her up.

But when she entered the arena, and placed her entry, she was picked to fight with, not a small boy, but a tall, muscled man, with a scarred face.

She could almost remember it. She had been beaten so badly that she bled non-stop. The man was coming in for another hit, surely to end her. But at last moment, feelings of rage spread through her. Somehow she had got the strength to stand and when the large man brought his fist down, she had caught it in her tiny hands. Somehow she was stronger than ever, and this made her feel powerful and sort of insane. She practically ripped the man's arm from his body. That is when she took on the name Ripper. Over the few years she had competed in the arena her named had changed, mostly because she had found a new power. She kept providing for her mother and everything was fine. A few months later, her mother told her that she was being a brat and that she was going to live with her father. Of course this hit Mari hard. She had never been a brat in her life, but she complied with her mother's decision. That was a month ago.

That's when she had stopped competing in the arena.

And now she was going at it again.

"That's lovely." Mari smiled, looking back at Ata.

"Yeah, well. It pays good, and can help Mama out with her taxes."

"Mmmm." Mari hummed.

After a long period of silence, Mari finally spoke up again.

"I happen to be…a…" she paused. "…a…good fighter." She said, denying herself, to tell the secret.

"Really?" he said smiling back at her. "Maybe you and I can duel fight later." He said.

"Yeah…"

* * *

Scene Three

Masrur had circled throughout the whole market, and he still hadn't found Mari. Sweat began to bead at his head and his chest was filled with more pain than ever before.

He leaned over on his knees. The heat from the sun was making him dizzy and the constant moving of people made his eyes unfocused.

He stood silently outside the wine shop, where the king and the two subordinates were still bickering over each others choice of wine.

Once that was settled, the three men began to leave. Masrur began to worry. _They will surely find out. _

_"_Where is Mari?" Sinbad said, walking up to the Fanalis.

Before Masrur could open his mouth Sharrkan was at his front.

"She circled back with Alibaba and the others. I'm sure she was tired." he said smiling back Masrur.

"Yes." Masrur nodded.

"I'm sure she was. We had been walking around for a while." Sinbad rubbed the back of his head and stretched out his arms.

"Well, I guess we might as well head back." he said turning to leave.

The four of them began to walk away, but Sharrkan made sure that he casually held Masrur back a bit. When he thought the king and the former assassin were out of hear range, he began to speak.

"So, where is Mari?" Sharrkan asked, not looking up to meet Masrur's worried eyes.

"I told you, she went back with–"

"No where is she really." Sharrkan said, cutting Masrur off.

Silence.

"I...I don't know." Masrur looked down at hims feet.

"What do ya mean _you don't know?"_ Sharrkan whispered in a worried tone.

"I...lost her."

"YOU LOST–" Sharrkan began. Masrur's hand shot out to cover Sharrkan's mouth before he could say any more.

"...you lost her?" he said softer.

"Y-yes." Masrur eyed the ground.

"And your plan was to let it slide until we got back to the palace?" Sharrkan whispered.

Masrur shook his head. "I was hoping to come up with a plan before then." he rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Sin's gonna murder me."

* * *

Scene Four

Upon making it to the arena Ata tugged Mari towards the two guards by the caged door.

"Are you fighting?" one of the guards said.

"Yes." Ata said. Any trace of humor or even personality was gone from his voice. From the corner of her eye, Mari could see that Ata's face was completely covered by the shadow from his hood. She noticed her face was covered as well.

"Alright." the two guards pushed open the large doors.

Ata tugged Mari through the doors and into a rather empty room. Inside there was a tall man with a quill, scribbling something among various scripts and papers.

When he looked up a smile crossed his face.

"Ah, the great Fathi Basim* has returned to fight again, I see." A man stuck his hand out to greet Ata, who took the hand firmly in his. Ata nodded, smiling quite devilishly. The man turned back to Mari, who stood there watching her feet.

"And you are?" the man said watching as Mari rocked back and forth.

"_Khatar Xouf*._" Mari said. Saying her old fighting name made her thoughts flow back to the old days.

The man sat there in silence.

"Khatar Xouf?" the man said again, his face going blank.

Mari nodded.

"Thee Khatar Xouf?" the man said.

Mari nodded.

"The Khartar Xouf who brought down Haidar Fuad* a year ago?"

Mari nodded.

"Haidar Fuad? Really?" Ata said, shocked. "You never told me!" he pouted.

Mari shrugged, looking back at her feet.

"I don't believe you." the man said, crossing his arms.

"Just watch me fight." Mari pointed to herself.

"By all means." he gestured out into the arena. Mari followed Ata out into one of the narrow corridors that lined around the arena. The tall gate in front of them was broken and cracked and nearly off it's hinges. Mari rocked back on her heel, while Ata leaned against the wall next to her.

He seemed to be pouting again.

"What?" Mari turned towards him.

"You never told me you were Khatar Xouf." he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"I didn't think I'd have to hear that name again." Mari sighed, turning back to the long corridor. "When I was given to my tousan...I promised myself I wouldn't..." Mari shrugged. Ata nodded. He knew the feeling. They way it felt to stop...only to be pulled back in. After a long silent moment, Ata spoke again.

"Do you have a home?" he asked.

Mari hesitated.

"I...I'm not sure anymore."

"What do you mean?" Ata asked.

"I sort of ran...away." Mari shrugged.

"Why would you...?" Before Ata could finish his sentence, the large gate began to open, letting in a large amount of light.

"Let's just say...I thought it was a good idea. No one will have to worry about me but me..." Mari said, stepping out into the arena.

* * *

_**Ata **means gift (pronounced ah-tah)  
_

_**Ataullah** means gift of god (pronounced ah-tah-oo-lah)  
_

_**Basim **means smiling (pronounced bah-seem)  
_

_**Fathi **means conqueror (pronounced fah-tee, fah-thee)  
_

**_Fuad _**_means heart (pronounced foo-ah-d)_

**_Haidar _**_means lion (pronounced hai-dah-r)_

_**Khatar** means dangerous (pronounced hah-tar)_

**_Xouf _**_means fear (pronounced hah-oof, hah-uf)_

* * *

_ What Mari was given to wear in Scene Two: _ art/Mari-416199298?ga_submit_new=10%253A1385532093_  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Scene Five

* * *

Ata followed Mari up onto the arena platform. They looked around, totally unaware of the crowd of people that were surrounding them on the bleachers. There was an Ora dome surrounding the outer layer of the arena. So although Mari could see the audience, they couldn't see her. Mari took these few moments as a time to prepare herself for the fight.

She thought back to her former appearance, and remembered she had always worn a mask to these things.

She slowly walked over to the concrete walls surrounding them and placed her hands there.

_Well this is as good a time as any to warm up my powers._ She thought. She focused in on the wall and it's structuring. She slowly brought the image of a mask to the front of her mind and focused even more. Slowly she began to pull from the wall, and a mask shape emerged. When she had finished, she admired her craftsmanship.

_It seemed to be just like her old one. _

_Oh if her tousan saw her now, he would surely be afraid. He wouldn't even know who she was anymore. She didn't even know who she was anymore. The sweet, scared persona that she had kept up was masking her true nature. Or was it the other way around? Was she good or bad? She didn't know She hadn't known for so long, that any trace of her being good at the beginning of her life, was gone, replaced by the evil and hate that had emanated from her mother. For so many years._

_Mari looked back at Ata. Now there was a truly good child. Someone who did what he did to help his mother. Mari longed to be like him. But the dream of that seemed to far fetched for someone of her…position._

"You okay?" Ata asked. Mari turned to see Ata's blue eyes peeking out from under the hood.

"Yeah." Mari smiled.

"Don't be nervous." Ata said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not. I'm just a bit…rusty. I'm not sure how to do this. This being a new generation and all."

"Yeah. These fights have changed a lot in the passed few years."

"Mmm." Mari hummed, looking down at her feet. The man they had seen before walked up onto the platform, carrying many sheets of paper.

"Alright, now, you're opponents will be...Bone Snatcher and Blue Blood."

Ata groaned.

"What?" Mari turned toward him slightly.

"Those guys are super annoying. It's basically a wannbe prince and his super strong body guard." he grimaced. "They just talk a lot of trash. But they're really nothing."

The man smirked. "Picky, picky. Tell ya what...when I get two opponents that can actually measure up to your power, I'll let you know." the man walked down and out of the arena and the gate closed behind him.

"So how is this going to go?" Mari asked.

"There will be two doors that the opponents will enter from, one with a weapon, and one with out. If you don't mind, I'll take the one with the weapon." Ata gripped his sword tightly. Mari nodded.

From behind the two gates opposite of them, Mari could hear whooping and yelling coming from beyond. The things that they were saying and the loudness of it all was quite atrocious.

"Those guys irritate me." Mari said, shaking the hood from her head. Ata seemed to watch her, as if she was a different person.

"Mari...your...hair..." he said.

Mari looked confused, and pulled a lock of hair towards the front so she could see it. Sure enough, it was different. The short, stubby strands were completely black, but began to slowly fade to purple.

"Woah." Ata stepped forward, inspecting the slowly changing colors.

"I never knew that happened." she said tugging on the strand.

The large gates on the opposite side began to open, surprising both of them. Mari slipped on the mask, feeling a sensation course through her body.

Fear.

She was afraid. She hadn't been in a fight in so long. She was completely blank. No plan. Nothing.

"And now!" a voice echoed through the arena, suddenly.

"The fight you all have been waiting for…!" the dome began to split open, letting in more light. It completely fell to the sides, letting in the roar of the excited audience. People yelled and screamed and cheered. Mari slipped off the cloth she wore around herself and rocked back on her heel.

"We have a special treat for all of you. The well known champion Fathi Basim, has returned to fight!" the crowd roared again. Ata gave a small smirk.

"And…he's brought a partner, a well known assassin here in these parts. Anyone remember Khatar Xouf?" the crowd cheered loudly, for both of them.

"Now who's ready to meet their opponents?" the crowd basically threw there arms up in anticipation.

"Reigning champions in their district, Bone Snatcher and Blue Blood!" the voice announced. Cheers and collective groans filled the air. Out from the opposite gates came two large men. One did look like a large body guard, while the other, who was less muscular but just as annoying, looked like a rude prince.

"Idiots. How many times do I have to beat you up?" Ata scowled, wielding the sword well.

"Calm yourself little...thing. I've come here to win." the prince scoffed, standing a few feet taller than Ata himself. He wore a long green and white robe, lined with gold. He brushed his dark hair from his face and leaned over Ata, ruffling his hair. Ata growled. The prince smirked, his green eyes piercing into Ata's.

The other man, the taller body guard, had large hands, that were blackened at the tips, large brown eyes that seemed empty, and long dark brown hair that fell over the small horns on his forehead. _A demon? _He stared off into the distance, until something Mari did got his attention. When the two made eye contact, a burst of red ran to the mans cheeks. He quickly looked away.

"Alright, alright! Now who's ready for a fight!?" the man's voice boomed. The crowd roared again.

The large man turned, the blush still hot on his cheeks. The prince turned as well, taking ten paces back to their end of the arena. Ata gestured for Mari to follow him to the other side of the arena.

"Don't be afraid." Ata said. "The big guy's usually the one with the weapon, so you'll just have to worry about that idiot prince." he smirked back at her.

But...Ata's face dropped when the prince pulled out a sword.

"No way..." he grimaced. The prince's gazed met Ata's, a smirk spreading across that idiots face. _He planned it!_ _He planned it all!_

Ata's eye twitched.

"Why that..." he began to growl again.

"It's alright." Mari smiled back at Ata. She looked over at the large man, who's face was covered with his long brown bangs.

"I feel that I've got an advantage." she smiled again, reassuring him.

Ata seemed to relax a bit.

"ALRIGHT!" the voice boomed. "Let the games begin!"

* * *

Scene Six

Masrur and Sharrkan teetered slowly behind Sinbad and Ja'far. Each one frantically looked for a distraction for either the general or the king. So far they had found none.

"ALRIGHT! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" Masrur's ears twitched. That phrase was familiar to him. _But where was it coming from?_

Then...then the most pure sound pierced through the air. The sound of two swords meeting.

"There's a battle going on at the arena! I think we should go see it." Masrur pointed frantically in the direction of the pure sound.

"Huh?" Sinbad turned around stumbling a bit. He was obviously drunk.

"How do you know?" Sinbad looked off into the direction of the arena, then stumbled towards Masrur breathing heavily. Masrur brushed his fingertips against the sensitive sides of his ears. Sinbad nodded.

"How are you drunk?" Ja'far shook his head, pushing up against Sinbad's slumped shoulders

"Well we were in a wine shop." he said smiling, wine hot on his breath. "Can w-we go?." he pleaded.

"No." Ja'far said flatly.

"But I w-wanna go..!" Sinbad flailed.

"You're drunk." Ja'far pushed against Sinbad's shoulders again.

"I...WANNA...GO!" Sinbad threw his arms up in the air, causing a small crowd of people to turn.

"Fine since you're being such a baby, and drawing a crowd." Ja'far ushered Sinbad along.

Sinbad smiled, satisfied.

They began to travel in the arena's direction. Masrur and Sharrkan breathed in relief, but immediately tensed up when they met Ja'far's watchful eyes. He crept up to them glaring them down, considering he was much shorter than the two.

"I know you two are up to something. What is it?" Ja'far crossed his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Sharrkan said, ruffling Ja'far's hair. Ja'far shook him away.

"I know you guys are up to something, and when I figure it out, I'm gonna..." Ja'far wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"Awwh, you're so cute when you're mad." Sharrkan pinched Ja'far's reddened cheeks. Ja'far whacked his hands away and shoved him in the stomach. Embarrassing to say the least, Sharrkan didn't move an inch.

"Just...watch it...okay!" Ja'far raged, marching off after a slightly drunken Sinbad.

The two let out a relieved sigh.

"That was close." Sharrkan said. A loud crash came from the crowd.

"SIN!"

"I think we should go help him." they hurried through the crowd to find Ja'far and their drunken king.

* * *

Scene Seven

A loud blaring sound erupted from around them, and from the corner of her eye, Mari saw Ata lunge forward, speeding across the arena. The silver blade of his sword met with the gold blade of the prince's. The sound that emanated from the two metals was loud, and pure.

"GO MARI!" he yelled back at her. She nodded and sped out, around the two of them and straight at her larger opponent. At first it seemed that he would fight, which he didn't. Instead he retreated.

He stumbled away, his long legs were wobbly and uncertain.

"Master! She's chasing me!" At first Mari was confused. They were supposed to be fighting, not running. The large man continued to run about, crying out. From the angle Mari was at, she could see tears streaming down from the man's hollow eyes.

_None of this makes sense._ She thought. Until...she saw them. The large unnecessary scars from a jagged sword blade. He was scared. Not only because of her, but because of his master.

"Stop being a wimp! You useless beast! Fight her!" the prince yelled, struggling to hold off Ata's sword.

Immediately, the large man stopped in his tracks.

"Y-you're so m-mean, master." a small, uneasy smirk crossed his face.

"I-I will c-crush her th-then, as y-you wish." the large man turned slowly, his look of fear turning into one of a crazed lunatic.

"Or m-maybe I could play with her...l-like a b-baby doll. I-I could c-comb her hair and..." he said quietly. The prince growled at him and a look of sorrow washed over his face.

"I-I'll crush her as y-you wish."

All of a sudden he whipped around and charge, the horns on his forehead growing in size. His arms and legs began to turn black and his steps were heavier. The ground shook at every step. Now they were charging at each other, flying faster than then before. He began to pick up speed, ducking his head down so the pointed spikes on his head were speared in her direction.

Another pure sound shot through the air, piercing Mari's ears. From the corner of her eye she could see the prince overpowering Ata greatly. She grimaced.

The large man, emitted a low growl from the back of his throat, and Mari looked up, surprised at how close he was. His strong arms tensed and a hand shot out, knocking her straight in the jaw. She flew back a few yard and crumbled to the ground. Her jaw ached, pain shoot up the possible crack through her skull.

Blood dripped to the floor in an unbelievable amount and Mari felt dizzy. The pure sound shot through the air, and when she looked to the side, she saw the prince ready to stab Ata straight through.

She panicked. She was only a few feet away, and she couldn't do anything but throw herself in front of him. She pushed him out of the way, sending him flying to the side.

And then it happened. The large gold sword plunged into her chest, splattering blood along the prince's front.

"MARI!"

* * *

Scene Eight

Sinbad stumbled through the crowd, Ja'far and Sharrkan guiding him, horribly. Masrur was clearing the way, seeing as his frightening glare cleared paths everywhere.

"Come on now, Sin." Ja'far coaxed. They...easily...maneuvered their way through the crowd, making a rather funny scene for most passers by. Sinbad turned slightly and placed a shaky hand on Ja'far shoulder, breathing hot air on Ja'far's forehead.

"Yaknoooww...wh-what? Yyyoou're a b-beautifful wommaann." Sinbad slurred. Ja'far cheeks burn bright red as he shoved Sinbad through the arena gates. Sharrkan was basically on the floor, cracking up. Masrur shook his head.

They continued into the arena, finding seats, most uncomfortably, between a few...hundred other people in the stands. _What was so interesting about seeing a fight?_**  
**

Sinbad slouched over the railing, tipping ever so slightly forward.

"SIN!" Ja'far grabbed Sinbad's waist, pulling him back into a seated position.

"B-but t-there are p-pretty colors-s. I-I wa-ant!" he grabbed at the air.

"You're really drunk, aren't you?" Ja'far sighed

"N-no I'm not!...Mommmmmm..." Sinbad began to tip over the railing.

"Will you stop that!" Ja'far groaned, pulling him back into seated position. "Don't make me tie you up." he revealed the red strings and household vessel beneath his sleeve.

"That s-sounds dirty." Sinbad slurred, leaning onto his elbows. "Y-you mean...s'l-like b-bondage?" a large crowd around the two men stopped cheering and turned astonished faces to them.

"S-shut up!" he slammed a fist down on Sinbad's head, sending Sinbad flying forward.

"OUCH!" Sinbad pouted. "What was that for?!" he rubbed the bump that was most likely forming.

"Stop being a pervert." Ja'far groaned.

Sharrkan burst out laughing. He couldn't help the tears streaming from his eyes.

This was too funny!

"Well you can shut up, too..." Ja'far glared.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ja'far had managed to calm Sinbad down. Now he stood and motioned for both Masrur and Sharrkan to follow him.

"Now what are you guys up to?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Nothing." the two blurted out.

"Mhmmm." Ja'far hummed.

"Masrur?" Ja'far made eye contact with the Fanalis.

Now, Masrur wanted to lie...but then again he didn't. To lie to a murderer or a conman or a bub from the streets was easy, but to lie to one of his friends, that was a whole different story.

"I..." Masrur began. "I lost...her."

Ja'far's face was unmoving, but he was obviously stunned.

"Huh?" Ja'far's eye twitched.

"I...lost...her..." Masrur scoffed his foot into the dirt.

There was no response. Just a hard smack across Masrur cheek, and the loud echoing sound from the impact.

Masrur stumbled a bit, lifting his hand to touch his now slightly swollen cheek.

"How did this happen?" Ja'far huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"We were walking through the crowd...and..she ran away from me...I couldn't..." another loud sound echoed through the emptied corridor. Masrur cheek burned, a visible hand print forming on his reddened flesh.

The pain in his cheek was bad, but not as bad as the pain in his chest. Have a friend be disappointed in you, and even hate you, was more painful than anything he had ever felt before.

"How am I supposed to tell this to Sin? Especially in his state of mind?" Ja'far looked back at the drunken king, rocking back and forth on the benches.

"I...I'm sorry." Masrur's voiced wavered. This was an odd feeling. To be punished for doing something wrong.

"YOU"RE SORRY?!" Another slap whipped across Masrur's face, tears slipping from his eyes. _This felt horrible. Not the pain on his cheek. Of course that pain he could handle, but the excruciating pain that shot through his chest was nearly unbearable. _

"That's enough!" Sharrkan caught Ja'far by the arms, pushing him a few steps back. Ja'far began to compose himself, while Sharrkan went over to Masrur, who seemed to have unconsciously cupped his cheek in pain.

The last slap had sent Masrur mind into overload, then it went completely off. Everything went blank.

"I-I t-thinkk I'll briiinng the c-cows in S-Sally." he blurted. _What the..._

"See look what ya did. You went and slapped the sense out of him." Sharrkan said, a bit sarcastically, seeing as no one needed anymore blame put on them.

"W-well, I..." Ja'far began but something caught his ear.

* * *

"MARI!"

Sinbad whipped around at the voice, any sign of him being drunk was washed away.

"Ma-Mari?" his voice shook.

_How. The way she looked was familiar. Yes. And her height and age were obviously the same. But it couldn't be. This was a person named Khatar Xouf. But then why had he heard Mari's name? Was it just his imagination? _

He watched as the young prince withdrew his sword from the bleeding chest, letting the small body crumble to the ground.

Sinbad payed no mind to what he thought he heard, but then if came again. He watched as the small boy ran over to the crumpled body and cradled it in his arms.

"Mari..." Tears streamed down the boys face.

"Why? WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" the boy raged.

Sinbad stood from his seat. "Mari?" _It coul__dn't be. Mari...Mari is safe, at Sindria. Isn't she?_

_What was happening? _Sinbad stumbled down the stairs and out into the back of the arena. _What was_ _happening? _Everything that was going on was a blur. He barely remembered making it down the stairs, and although adrenaline was pumping through his body, the wine was beginning to kick in again. _But w__hat was happe__ning?_

"Hey! You can't be down here! Fighters only!" a large man said. But he had had enough. _What was happening?_

"Focalor! Dwell in my body!" Sinbad transformed, the dark red feathers and fur forming on his body, his hair growing longer, and the shiny gold he wore, wrapped around his arms and neck.

"H-hey w-wait!" the large man was blown out of the way, like he was a piece of paper.

"SIN!" Ja'far stumbled down the stairs, followed by Masrur and Sharrkan. "Hold on!"

But he didn't listen.

_Where?_

He made his way out into the back rooms, conjuring up a storm that blew away another group of men.

_Where is she?_

He made his way out into the arena.

_Mari?_

Small specks of blood trailed to the entrance, coming straight from the butchered body.

_Mari?!_

Small specks that turned into dots and smears, until his eyes finally reached the full body, where blood had pooled greatly.

_M-my Mari!_

The young prince shook a bit, holding in a laugh.

"The little thing didn't have a chance." he cupped his hands over his mouth, his laughter slipping out anyway.

_M-my b-baby!_

Sinbad raged inside himself, unable to hold in the feelings of anger and hate any longer. But the words could escape his mouth, they seemed to erupt from someone else.

"GET...AWAY...FROM HER!" the small boy who held Mari growled. He shook violently, his head ducked, so much so that none could see his expression.

"Mari..." the name slipped from Sinbad's mouth. "GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!"

"And you are?" the young prince smirked.

"I... I AM SINBAD, CONQUEROR OF THE SEVEN SEAS! KING OF SINDRIA! NOW GET YOU'RE PUTRID FORM AWAY FROM MY PRINCESS and out of my sight..." Sinbad growled. This time the young prince stumbled back falling over himself a few times.

The large demon to the side was cowering far beyond Sinbad's reach. But he didn't care.

_Mari. My princess. My child._

He watched the blood leak from her body, and he was unable to do...anything.

_My sweet, what will I do?_

_Without...you?_


End file.
